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Highway Deaths Hit 62 Year Low Nationally, but Some Categories Increase

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Nationally, traffic deaths dropped almost 2% in 2011 according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, but the number of deaths involving bicyclists rose nearly 9 percent and there was a 20% jump in deaths of occupants of large trucks.

Erin Waters of PennDOT says Pennsylvania did not follow those trends. Deaths of drivers and passengers in heavy trucks held about steady.  Deaths of bicyclists fell by over 50% from 2010 to 2011. This was before the new law requiring drivers to give bike riders a wider berth when passing them took effect.

The overall number of traffic deaths dropped nearly 3% in Pennsylvania from 2010 to 2011. But the state actually hit its lowest level in 2009.  Nationally, the number of highway deaths was at its lowest level in 62 years in 2011.

Pennsylvania Highway Deaths Decline in 2011 to Second Lowest Level on Record

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The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is reporting a decline in highway deaths.  The numbers in 2011 were the second lowest on record.   1,291 people were killed in crashes on Pennsylvania roads last year. That number is 33 fewer than in 2010.

Fatal crash statistics improved in several areas.  There were fewer alcohol-related deaths along with declines in motorcycle and bicycle fatalities. DUI-related fatalities fell from 417 to 379. That number was the lowest in more than a decade. Motorcycle deaths dropped from 223 to 198 and bicyclist fatalities dropped from 21 to 11.   Head on collision deaths dropped to their lowest level in a decade.

Erin  Waters of PennDOT says there was an area of concern. Fatalities involving 16-year-old drivers rose from 19 to 29.  She says that’s an area where they want to continue emphasizing safety and get that number back down. PennDOT has two new tools, the texting ban and new teen driver law.   The teen driver law took effect in late December, the texting ban took effect earlier this month.

Waters says PennDOT invests about 20 million dollars in state and federal funds each year, educating people on safety and helping police enforce the laws.  She says the state also focuses on safety improvements to roadways, including center and edge line rumble strips.  She says those have reduced some of the crashes involving  people crossing over roadways or running off a road and striking a tree.